30 Animals With the Shortest Lifespans, Ranked by Longevity
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Many factors determine the lifespan of an animal — habitat, food sources (and availability), the animal's size and its ability to protect itself from predators. Longevity often depends on the age the animal reaches sexual maturity. The Greenland shark has a lifespan of 500-plus years, but they mate later in life, which accounts for why they are one of the longest living animals on the planet.
There is a large variation in lifespans in the animal kingdom, and some critters go through multiple stages of development that prolong life. But others are not so fortunate. Here are 30 animals with the shortest lifespans, ranging from a few years to a few hours.
30. Earthworm
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Size: 4 inches to 9 feet
Location: Worldwide
Lifespan: 1-8 years
Bottom Line: Earthworm
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At birth, the earthworm is fully formed except for its sex structure, which is formed 60 to 90 days later. The earthworm can live up to eight years in the wild, but the typical garden varieties only live one to two years.
The earthworm plays a role in the ecosystem by decomposing organic matter and tilling the soil. However, the worm is also considered an invasive species. It has a voracious appetite that is good and bad for the environment.
29. Green Anole
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Size: 8 inches
Location: U.S. and the Caribbean
Lifespan: 4-7 years
Bottom Line: Green Anole
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These small lizards make good pets for beginners because they're easy to take care of and relatively inexpensive to raise.
The anole is an active lizard, but males can become territorial if threatened. Consistent handling is key to keeping them socialized.
27. Guinea Pig (Tie)
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Size: 7.9-16 inches
Location: Andes of South America
Lifespan: 4-6 years
Bottom Line: Guinea Pig
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The guinea pig is a rodent species and not at all related to pigs, despite its name. They were initially domesticated as livestock before they were considered as family pets.
Guinea pigs do not do well in the wild and have much longer lifespans when kept in captivity — sometimes living up to eight years.
27. Hedgehog (Tie)
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Size: 6-8 inches
Location: Africa, Asia, Europe and New Zealand
Lifespan: 4-6 years
Bottom Line: Hedgehog
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These cute little insect-eating mammals thrive well in captivity and are sociable when handled daily. If a hedgehog feels threatened, it will curl up in a ball with its spiny quills facing outward for protection.
They are nocturnal creatures who are quite noisy at night and best suited for pet owners who are not light sleepers.
26. Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
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Size: 3-3.5 inches
Location: Central America, U.S. and Canada
Lifespan: 3-4 years
Bottom Line: Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
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The ruby-throated hummingbird lives on the nectar of flowers and sometimes tree sap or insects. Their nests are usually 10 to 40 feet above the ground and only the size of a large thimble!
Females have a clutch size of one to three eggs, with an incubation time of 12 to 14 days and an 18- to 22-day nesting period.
25. Mole
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Size: 4-7 inches
Location: Every Continent except Antarctica and South America
Lifespan: 3 years
Bottom Line: Mole
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Moles prefer to live in grassy areas to dig tunnels that serve as their living quarters. They are loners that eat mostly earthworms — as much as 1.7 ounces of worms a day.
Females give birth to three to four "pups" at a time, and the babies are weaned by the time they are 4 to 5 weeks old. By 6 weeks old, they leave the nest to make their own home.
24. Panther Chameleon
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Size: 9-21 inches
Location: Madagascar
Lifespan: 2-3 years
Bottom Line: Panther Chameleon
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These diurnal chameleons prefer to live alone unless it is mating season. Males become very territorial at this time, changing color if confronted by other males and will inflate their bodies.
Panther chameleons reach sexual maturity at seven months, and females change color when carrying eggs to signify that they are not interested in mating. They usually lay between 10 and 40 eggs per clutch, and they hatch within 240 days.
23. North American Rat
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Size: 9-11 inches, plus a tail that is 7-9 inches
Location: United States
Lifespan: 1-3 years
Bottom Line: North American Rat
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The key difference between rats and mice is their size. Rats are larger rodents that are colorblind and have poor eyesight. However, they are very clean animals despite their bad reputation and are quite sociable.
They can easily live up to three years in captivity, but that average is lowered to one year in the wild because of predators.
21. House Mouse (Tie)
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Size: 5-7 inches, including the tail
Location: Native to Central Asia but established throughout the world
Lifespan: 1-2 years
Bottom Line: House Mouse
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Mice are generally nocturnal creatures but will forage during the day for food if necessary. They eat mostly insects and seeds but will eat just about anything if they live indoors as pets. They breed all year long, producing up to 14 litters per year (one to 12 babies per litter).
Environmental conditions and predators account for their short lifespans.
21. Hamster (Tie)
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Size: 2-6 inches
Location: Originally from Syria but now found all over the world
Lifespan: 1-2 years
Bottom Line: Hamster
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These cute nocturnal rodents love playtime outside of their cage and especially enjoy running around the house in large, clear balls or traveling through mazes. Since their teeth are continually growing, they need chew toys to maintain the proper length. Their eyesight is poor, so they rely on their powerful sense of smell.
A pet hamster that is well taken care of can sometimes live to be 3 years old.
20. Mosquito Fish
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Size: 1-3 inches
Location: Southeastern United States
Lifespan: 1.5 years
Bottom Line: Mosquito Fish
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Mosquito fish are small, guppy-like fish that feed primarily on mosquitos and their insect larvae. They are often used in mosquito control programs for this reason.
Mosquito fish reach maturity at four to five months, but the males have shorter lifespans. Some female mosquito fish in captivity can live up to three years.
17. Shrew (Tie)
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Size: 1-3 inches
Location: North America, South America, Africa, Eurasia
Lifespan: 1 year
Bottom Line: Shrew
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Shrews are small mammals with less intelligence and manipulative ability but an acute sense of smell and hearing that helps them find food. They also have a high metabolic rate and cannot survive without eating for more than a few hours.
Shrews have a very short lifespan, rarely reaching beyond a year.
17. Wolf Spider (Tie)
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Size: 1.5-inch body length
Location: Everywhere in the world, especially in dry inland shrublands, woodlands and wet coastal areas
Lifespan: 1 year
Bottom Line: Wolf Spider
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These hairy arachnids come in various black, brown and grey shades and are very fast-moving spiders. They prefer to live alone and are wanderers without permanent homes. For this reason, they do not spin webs and like to hunt like a wolf for their prey.
Some species of wolf spiders produce venomous bites that cause necrotic wounds.
17. Paedophryne Amarvensis (Tie)
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Size: Less than 1/3 inch
Location: Papua New Guinea
Lifespan: 1 year
Bottom Line: Paedophryne Amarvensis
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The Paedophryne Amarvensis has the shortest lifespan of any frog species and is the smallest vertebrate in the world. Unlike most frogs, this species gives birth to live young instead of tadpoles.
However, they are common prey for centipedes and scorpions, which contributes to their short lifespan in the wild.
16. Giant Sunda Rat
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Size: 9.4 inches
Location: Southeast Asia
Lifespan: 6 months-1 year
Bottom Line: Giant Sunda Rat
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The Giant Sunda Rat, a large rodent found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines, has the shortest lifespan of any mammal on Earth.
Some live longer in captivity, but even so, they rarely make it past one year.
15. Labord's Chameleon
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Size: About an inch
Location: Madagascar
Lifespan: 4 months-1 year
Bottom Line: Labord's Chameleon
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Part of the lizard family, the Labord's chameleon holds the record for the shortest living tetrapod. They spend the majority of their life (eight to nine months) as a developing embryo and only four to five months fully grown during the rainy season in Madagascar.
Females live the longest but rarely see a second mating season.
14. Caribbean Dwarf Octopus
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Size: Mantle length of 1.8 inches; arms are 3.5 inches
Location: Atlantic Ocean
Lifespan: 8-10 months
Bottom Line: Caribbean Dwarf Octopus
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Also known as the Atlantic Pygmy octopus or small-egg octopus, this species is tiny enough to hide in a clamshell, can or any little opening to protect itself from underwater predators. It has the same ink sacs as a regular octopus and special pigmented cells to change color and blend in with its environment.
Hatchlings are fully formed at birth and can hunt within hours of being born. However, their lifespan is much shorter than the average octopus, which lives three to five years.
13. Worker Bee
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Size: 1/2 inch
Location: Originally from Africa and Europe
Lifespan: 6 weeks-8 months
Bottom Line: Worker Bee
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The worker bee's job is to process nectar, make honey and feed the bee larvae. Bees that are more active in the summer months live shorter lives than those that are young in the winter.
Their brief lifespan is spent tending to the queen and the hive.
12. Dragonfly
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Size: 1-4 inches
Location: Originally from Europe but can be found anywhere that water is still or slow-moving
Lifespan: 4-6 months
Bottom Line: Dragonfly
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Among the most ancient insects globally, dragonflies were once much larger, with a wingspan of 30 inches, making them the most prominent flying insects during prehistoric times.
Most of the dragonfly's lifespan is spent living as a larva or nymph beneath the surface of ponds and streams. A nymph can remain in the water for many months — even years. However, it can only survive for about four months once it emerges from the water to molt into an adult dragonfly.
11. Sign Eviota
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Size: 0.9 to 1.5 centimeters
Location: Australia
Lifespan: 59 days
Bottom Line: Sign Eviota
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The Sign Eviota, also known as a Pygmy Goby, is a fish with the shortest known lifespan. Half of its life cycle is spent in the larvae stage before becoming an adult.
Their short lifespan is due to a high volume of predators, accounting for a mortality rate of 8 percent per day. These fish survive by a rapid reproduction cycle, the females laying 400 eggs at a time.
10. Housefly
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Size: Less than an inch
Location: Everywhere in the world except the Antarctic
Lifespan: 25 days-2 months
Bottom Line: Housefly
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The entire lifecycle of the fly is extremely short at one to two months total. The egg hatches in less than 24 hours, with the larvae stage lasting five to 14 days, followed by the pupa stage, which is three to 10 more days.
Female houseflies can lay up to 500 eggs at a time, and as many as 10 to 12 generations may occur in one summer.
9. African Turquoise Killifish
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Size: 2.5 inches
Location: Africa
Lifespan: 35 days
Bottom Line: African Turquoise Killifish
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Since the rainy season is so short in Africa, the turquoise killifish must mature and lay eggs before the water dries up. They reach sexual maturity after 14 days and typically live for a little over one month.
However, if the water remains for a long time, the killifish can live up to a year, which is very rare.
8. Indianmeal Moth
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Size: 1/2 inch
Location: Everywhere except Antarctica
Lifespan: 28 days
Bottom Line: Indianmeal Moth
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Also known as the waxworm, this pesky moth was believed to have been first discovered in Indian cornmeal, hence its name. They are invasive pests that can bite through plastic and infest sealed food containers.
Some can live up to 50 days, but most only make it to 28 days.
7. Drone Ant
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Size: 1/2 inch
Location: Everywhere except Antarctica
Lifespan: 3 weeks
Bottom Line: Drone Ant
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Unlike regular ants, the drone ant has wings and a large body similar to a wasp. Each one is male, and their purpose is to breed so that the colony population continues to grow.
Their lifespan is very short — just three weeks, compared to the queen that can live up to one year and produce 800 to 1,500 eggs per day.
5. Fruit Fly (Tie)
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Size: 1/8 inch
Location: Everywhere except Antarctica
Lifespan: 2 weeks
Bottom Line: Fruit Fly
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These small, winged flies are attracted to overripe fruit, and although they are considered a pest, they play a valuable role in the ecosystem. They eat decaying matter that might otherwise turn into a fungal or bacterial infection and attract rodents.
Fruitflies are most noticeable in spring through fall. They reproduce very quickly, laying as many as 500 eggs during their short lifespan.
5. American Copper Butterfly (Tie)
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Size: 0.9-1.2 inches
Location: North America
Lifespan: 2 weeks
Bottom Line: American Copper Butterfly
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Compared to other butterflies, the American copper has the shortest lifespan. Although they are usually solitary creatures, they can be found in groups when mating or consuming food from plants, which they generously share with other butterflies.
The American copper has beautiful, bright orange wings and is a swift flyer due to its wingspan. It is also the second-fastest butterfly in the family of Lycaenidae.
4. Mosquito
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Size: 0.15 to 0.4 inches
Location: Originated in Africa but are now worldwide
Lifespan: 1+ week(s)
Bottom Line: Mosquito
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Mosquitoes are an old species that have been around since the Jurassic era when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Interestingly, only female mosquitoes make the annoying buzzing sound we hear when they fly around. They are also the only ones that bite humans and animals.
Thankfully, they have very short lifespans.
3. Luna Moth
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Size: 3- to 4-inch wingspan
Location: North America
Lifespan: 1 week
Bottom Line: Luna Moth
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Adult luna moths do not have mouths; they survive on the stored fat from their larvae stage. Their sole purpose is to reproduce, and then they die shortly after. For this reason, reproduction is paramount to keeping the species alive.
Unfortunately, there are only two generations of luna moths per year in Pennsylvania, where they are most frequently found.
2. Gastrotrich
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Size: 1-2 millimeters
Location: Worldwide
Lifespan: 5 days
Bottom Line: Gastrotrich
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The gastrotrich is a microscopic worm-like animal found in freshwater areas worldwide. Commonly referred to as "hairybellies" or "hairybacks," these creatures develop quickly in the egg stage, hatching as miniature adult versions of the worm.
Due to their short lifespan, a fast reproduction cycle is key to the survival of their species.
1. Mayfly
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Size: About an inch
Location: Southeastern United States
Lifespan: 5 minutes-24 hours
Bottom Line: Mayfly
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These tiny insects live around water areas in North America. They begin life in the egg stage in the water where they have been laid and hatch shortly after.
Some Mayfly nymphs stay in the water for months and even years. But once they emerge and molt into adults, they live less than 24 hours.